Work Text:
Chanhee was feeling a lot of things at the moment. He was feeling utterly exhausted from hours of lost sleep, he was feeling sore in many places of his body, he was feeling hungry, and he was feeling unclean and in need of a shower, but most of all, he was feeling so, so happy. It had been a week since his daughter was born and he thought he had been happy before, but now he was over the moon. In addition, he was feeling a love within his being he had never experienced before and it was intense. It had taken him by surprise how much he loved her, especially after so little time being alive and knowing her, but he knew what he felt. The joy of her finally being here engulfed his body every second of the day. It had him shaking sometimes with how powerful his love was for her, and his arms missed holding her whenever she was out of them. He was plainly, extremely happy when he was with her.
He could see how happy Changmin was as well. Changmin had always wanted children, which had been evident before they even started dating, and Chanhee had never been opposed to the idea. When discussing children it had been agreed upon that yes, they would have them one day, when they were ready. Mari had not been planned, she wasn't supposed to exist for another few years or so, but it worked out that she was going to arrive when she wanted to arrive and that was okay. Receiving that positive pregnancy test had been world-turning for both Changmin and Chanhee and the excitement of becoming parents had been mutual even if it wasn't expected. They were having their very own baby and their fantasies of being parents together were finally coming true.
Chanhee was living one of those fantasies he had looked forward to the most when he was pregnant now and it felt like a dream come true. There he stood in the nursery he and Changmin had spent hours building together, dressed in comfy loungewear, holding his daughter against his chest as she cooed contentedly, holding her so close and nuzzling her head into his neck, hand holding it in place so gently. He softly patted her back, noting how tiny she was and how she could fit in his palm as he eased out any air she possibly managed to swallow while taking her bottle. She'd just had her afternoon feed and was close to falling asleep, Chanhee soothing her small body to sleep for a peaceful rest. She had been fighting sleep that morning but hopefully, she would properly go down this time.
"Mari yah," Chanhee singsonged as he slowly rocked from side to side, cuddling his baby so close as she started to fuss. He could hear her breathing start to pick up as she grew antsy with Chanhee standing so still and moving always helped her calm back down. There was something about baby breathing that set his heart on fire. Little lungs and little bodies working so hard to function outside of the womb and it made Chanhee admire newborn babies. They truly had a lot to deal with in the first months of life, "I love you, darling," he cooed, turning his head to place soft kisses on her wispy hair. It was thin and stuck straight up in a perpetual coif and always tickled his neck when he held her like this. Changmin liked to clip tiny bows in, making her even cuter than she already was.
Mari cooed in response after settling, followed by a very wide-mouthed and intense yawn that made her curl back and away from Chanhee's shoulder. It was the type of yawn where he had to steady her with a hand on her body until she was finished, "Oh, big yawn," Chanhee emphasized as he stretched out the syllables. He didn't know how he started saying that phrase but he could never resist saying it every time she yawned. She always had yawns too big for her tiny body, “Aigoo, Baby.”
"I missed a big yawn?" Changmin questioned as he entered the room, looking and sounding disappointed that he missed something as adorable as his daughter doing basic human functions. He rushed over to Chanhee, instinctually placing his hands on his boyfriend's hips and holding him in place from behind. Where he stood he could see Mari's little face and could speak to her directly, smiling ridiculously as he spoke to his daughter, "Hello my little darling. I missed you so so much," he cooed in that baby talk voice he reserved just for her. A happy giggle left his mouth as he ducked his head to place four quick pecks on her forehead. It didn't feel like enough, but then again no amount of kisses was ever enough.
"You were gone for about two minutes," Chanhee added peacefully, leaning further back into Changmin to feel his warmth, back flush against his chest. He hadn't known he missed him so much before until he was back at his side now.
"And?" Changmin interjected, sounding appalled by his boyfriend's words, "I can't miss both of the loves of my life anytime we're apart? I would think missing you wouldn't need any more discussion," Changmin thought he had made it very evident that he worshipped and adored both Chanhee and their little girl. The both of them were his entire world, “I thought about you both those whole two minutes I was gone.”
“I thought about you too,” Chanhee assured as he revealed his truth. Mari strikingly resembled Changmin and every time he looked at her round little face his mind would immediately picture his boyfriend. It was hard to believe sometimes that he had created a miniature Changmin, “I’m so wildly in love with you that it’s impossible not to think about you every waking second. Your absence pained every fiber of my being,” he exaggerated, adjusting Mari so she was laying in his arms. Changmin was still tall enough to look over Chanhee’s shoulder and get a full view of his daughter, content where he stood. Mari was slowly drifting into slumber, her tired eyes drooping nearly closed.
“You joke about that but that’s exactly how I feel when we’re apart,” Changmin pouted, lower lip wobbling so adorably in mock hurt, “I mean it when I say you two are my everything. I love you both so so much,” Changmin buried his nose into Chanhee’s neck, placing kisses where his mouth lay on his skin. They were nearly undetectable, but Chanhee knew his boyfriend’s antics after so many years together. Changmin could never resist a gentle kiss on any part of his body.
“We love you, too,” Chanhee assured with an airy giggle, ducking his head to place a kiss on Mari’s forehead. It barely garnered a reaction, too sleepy to react in any way, "I can't believe she was inside me just a week ago," at the mention of being pregnant, Changmin slid his hand from Chanhee's hip to his still round belly and ran his palm over the expanse. It had shrunk the tiniest bit since giving birth, but his size was still very significant and he still looked nine months pregnant. It was still a habit of Changmin's, an automatic response to seeing his boyfriend, but he couldn't help himself and Chanhee never complained. Changmin's ministrations always felt good on his sore muscles as they slowly returned to their original placement, "I hate not having her as close, not spending every second together. She feels so far away now."
Changmin hummed, a pang in his heart plucking the hurt string, "But look at you now. You're already the best mother and I can see how much she loves you already. You're her favorite person after all," Mari had proven that she was the sweetest baby ever and she had not forgotten to show Chanhee how much he meant to her.
Chanhee chuckled, short and happy as he turned his head to look at the younger man, "I think you and her are battling for the favorite person in my heart," if he had to choose between Changmin and Mari, well, he wouldn't know what the answer would be. He couldn't make himself dwell on the answer either.
Changmin laughed, light and joyous, "You know what? If she was number one I wouldn't be mad at that. It's completely understandable. Just look at her," gawking at their daughter, their hearts ached for her. Neither man could ever get enough of her.
"We'll have to wait and see. Maybe I'll give you an answer one day," Chanhee joked, not believing he could ever make a choice between the loves of his life, "But for now, I love you both equally. My heart is so full, almost to bursting," he felt he could get emotional about it, but sparing yet another tear fest, an event he found himself participating in too often in the last week, he shook it off and turned to fully face Changmin. The confusion in his features was adorable, and it made Chanhee smile.
"I love you so much. Never think I don't," it seemed impossible not to love him. They had their disagreements, they even started out as a pair of polar opposite best friends, but they were together now and Chanhee had no qualms about Changmin being the one, "I plan to live the rest of our lives together."
The pure joy in Changmin's body language and smile said it all. He felt the exact same way, "Come here," he demanded, grabbing Chanhee's face with both of his hands, holding his cheeks so gently in his palms. The older knew what his future entailed so he took the liberty and leaned forward to connect their lips in a kiss. Changmin was always such a passionate kisser with there being so much meaning and emotion behind each gesture. Chanhee could only hope he delivered as much sentiment as his boyfriend did.
The spark between them both was so vibrant and electrifying, and the greatest gesture of their love was having their darling girl together. They made each other so very happy, and they were content to live the rest of their days out just like this. That didn't sound too bad.